Why you should consider turning your exercise program into a ritual

written by john c ashworth, ma, cscs, ces

Anthropologists, writers, and historians have been exploring the effects that rituals have on our lives for a long time. Recent research at Harvard now tells us that at least when it comes to food, a consistent ritual performed before you eat can make even vegetables taste better. Why not extend that concept to your exercise program?

First though, a quick note about the conclusion from the study at Harvard for some context…

Ultimately, what researchers discovered was that by having people perform some kind of consistent ritual before eating, the food they were eating tasted better, and they would have been willing to pay more for this food if they were eating out. This was the first rigorous look at the effects rituals have on eating.

The study's authors also concluded that part of what the ritual does is increase the anticipation, and in turn, a person's mindfulness as they approach their meal. As a result, they were more present and aware of what they were doing (in this case eating) and so the food tasted better.

I decided that for tonight's fitness segment on NBC 15 with Leigh Mills, I would offer an extension of this concept to your exercise program, and share another short story about how my own personal exercise rituals have helped me over the last year.

What if you turned your own exercise program into a ritual? Or at the very least, chose just one aspect of your program into a ritual. What might happen?

Personally, I've established three rituals around my exercise program over the last year that have all helped me a great deal, and that have all remained consistent in my life, directly as a result of my willingness to honor them as true and important pursuits.

Last time I was on, I talked about my swimming program so I'll just identify that ritual here quickly and move one. I have also recently discussed in another of our recent segments, the ritual I've created around stretching and yoga every morning, while I sip my homemade latte, and listen to music.

Both of these new rituals have put me into a zone that I have not experienced in quite some time. In other words, by placing them as highly important and connecting with them in a spiritual manner, I changed my relationship with the activities and now I do them no matter what. Even when I don't feel like it.

The last one I'd like to talk about is what will happen shortly after I leave the NBC 15 studio today. I will head to the gym where I will perform a small amount of strength training, swim in the pool, spend some time in the warm water pool, and then go home and stretch in the backyard. Now, you may think I'm "double-dipping" here. No pun intended 🙂 I've already talked about the pool and my stretching, but what I'm really referring to here is something very different.

By the time I'm finished working on a Friday evening, I'm pretty tired. Often exhausted from everything I've had to do all week. Especially this week. But no matter what, unless I'm out of town, dead, or too sick to move, I will not miss my time at the gym on Friday evening because it has become far more than just another workout. It has become a ritual. A chance not only to move, gain strength, and feel better, but also to spend some quality time with myself, my ipod, and in pursuit of bringing my body back to an equilibrium that I literally crave by the time Friday afternoon arrives.

What might happen if you began to look at your own exercise program in this way? Or at least some aspect of your program in this way. Do you think it would allow you to build better exercise, fitness and nutrition habits?

Lastly, I wanted to finish with one extremely important aspect of rituals. You need to perform them yourself, and keep them as consistent as you can. And probably most important, is that performing your ritual every time (every Friday without fail in my example above) is what gives it its power.

I really do want you to spend some time thinking about that last statement, because it's really important, and it's one of the biggest obstacles I've seen people face over the years in working with them as their coach.

The performance of your ritual must be consistent. That is what will give it its power, and a place in your life where you will fight like a warrior to keep it alive. Just ask my wife Laura how I feel about skipping my Friday evening time at the gym 🙂

-John

PS A special thanks to my wife Laura who remains incredibly supportive of my Friday evening ritual, and all of the other time I spend exercising, working, writing, and taking care of my business. Though she might not realize it to the extent that I do, her support of my rituals is unmatched.

About the Author
John Ashworth is an empathetic sales leader with an incredibly diverse background as a salesman, business consultant, marketing maniac, writer, Dad and full time Bohemian Athlete. aka Johnny Renaissance.

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